


Meltdown

by Selena_Snow



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Among Us (Video Game) Setting, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Like so much angst, M/M, Multi, Some fluff too though, like prepare yourself, this is SAD NGL
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26782660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selena_Snow/pseuds/Selena_Snow
Summary: Your favorite volleyball boys are astronauts heading off into the stars! But when the bodies and evidence begin piling up, they have to wonder- is there an imposter among them?Based on Among Us because I just couldn't get this idea out of my head.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 15
Kudos: 129





	Meltdown

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! If you're reading this, you might have come from my TikTok, so thanks! And if you know me from FF.net, then hey old pal. 
> 
> Go ahead and choose your color, grab a box of tissues, and get ready for an adventure!

Asahi could already feel the beginnings of a panic attack as the group spread out from their initial meeting in the cafeteria. This wasn’t his first voyage into the stars— far from it. But each mission always brought its own set of difficulties, and this one was no different. 

“Aww, cheer up, Asahi!” a chipper voice piped up, followed by a sharp elbow to the stomach. Asahi doubled over, clutching at his brown spacesuit reflexively. Everyone in the group chuckled. This was nothing new. 

Anxiety-riddled eyes turned to look into the confident ones of his boyfriend, Nishinoya. They were sparkling, eager and ready to get to work. Asahi felt the electric current zapping his heart pause only momentarily. 

“C’mon,” Nishinoya prodded. A small hand covered in purple material grasped his own. “I’ll be with you all the way. Hey, I know— let’s start with the shields! I swear they were so finicky last time—“ 

And, as always, Nishinoya began rambling on and on about shields and wires and all the little hiccups they’d endure on their journey into the stars. The familiarity of it comforted Asahi, if only for a little bit. 

* * *

Iwa-chan blew an annoyed huff out of his lips, and Oikawa tried to not fidget. This was normal. Completely as usual. They always paired off and headed to check the electrical room first — yup, completely normal. 

Except for then a wrench fell out of Iwa-chan’s forest green spacesuit pocket, and Oikawa had to slap a hand over his mouth to stop a squeak. 

“Stupid thing never stays in there,” Iwa-chan grumbled. 

Oikawa swallowed harshly. “M-Maybe, uh— the pocket on the left!” he suggested. “Try that one!” 

They were entering electrical now and nope, no way. Something about it was just too closed off— it was way in the back, through a series of corridors, no windows, the exit easily blocked off— yeah, no. Bad idea. Maybe he could just say he needed to go check the oxygen levels? Yeah, he’d do that. 

But no, then Iwa-chan was bumping his shoulder with his own and giving a tired grin. “Alright, let’s get to work, huh?” 

“Uhuh, right.” Oikawa gulped. “But you know, I actually think I’ll be good on my own! No need to follow me around anymore like you used to on our first missions. I mean really, what are you, my mom, Iwa-chan?”   
  
Predictably, his companion rolled his eyes, the ones that popped so much due to the color of his spacesuit— nope, now was not the time for such thoughts. Oikawa’s eyes flashed down, distracting himself with the bright cyan of his own suit, when he felt his hand being grasped. 

Oikawa would’ve jumped back if he wasn’t in such a state of shock. But there Iwa-chan was, staring into his eyes with a weird amount of fondness as he said, “Yeah, no. I won’t have you singeing your fingers fixing wires again.” And then, he squeezed Oikawa’s hand. 

The brunet’s heart both stopped and soared at the same time. He wondered if that was safe. He wondered how long he and Iwa-chan would keep dancing around this whatever-it-was between them that had been forming the past few months. 

And then, when Iwa-chan released his hand and started to get to work, he wondered if they’d even get the chance to figure it out. 

* * *

Akaashi should’ve known that Bokuto would trail after him like a lost puppy. He could remember back to when he was annoyed by it— those days where they barely knew each other, and Bokuto would follow after him saying nonsense like “well, our colors are black and white, and those are complimentary or something, so obviously we should team up and—“ 

Over time, it became more apparent that Bokuto was right. The two, however different in personality, worked flawlessly together (mostly). It didn’t take long before Akaashi actually enjoyed Bokuto’s non-stop presence on the ship. The endless jokes, facts, and hummed tunes made the dull work of checking over the engine or sending a report to headquarters much easier to endure. It wasn’t that Akaashi didn’t like his job— far from it. He just liked the destination more than the journey. 

Time had also paved the path for their relationship to become what it was now. Their frequent partnerships on space missions had lead to a blossoming romance, one that would be celebrated next spring at their wedding. It was funny— Akaashi had come to space because he fell in love with the stars. He hadn’t expected to find any other sort of love out here. 

So, yes, Akaashi was used to working with Bokuto. But today as he looked over the extensive list of tasks they both had, he couldn’t help but wonder if their usual system would be as effective. 

Akaashi looked up from their lists, allowing himself to briefly admire Bokuto’s side profile as he uploaded files to the server. Finally, he cleared his throat. Bright golden eyes looked his way, and Akaashi smiled softly. 

“You know, Bokuto— you don’t need to follow me around anymore,” he pointed out. 

“Awww, don’t say that, Akaashi,” his fiancé pouted. “We’ve always worked together! You make sure I don’t forget to push the submit buttons and stuff, see?” he said, doing so. 

The man in the black spacesuit shook his head. “I didn’t even remind you of that just now. Listen, Bokuto, you’ve been on enough missions to be confident without my help. And we have a lot to do today, so—“ 

It seemed that anything else he planned to say was going to go unheard, because the moment the inadvertent compliment had slipped out, Bokuto’s ears blocked the rest. 

“Really, Akaashi???” Bokuto beamed. “You think so? You really think so?” 

He chuckled. “Yes, Bokuto, I—“ 

“Okay then, here we go!” the other in white cheered. Bokuto ran over to swipe his card. “See? Can do it all by myself, just like you said!” he preened.

Akaashi’s heart swelled. “Yes, I see. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go check on the oxygen tanks. We can meet up in the top engine afterward, alright?” 

Again, the words went unheard, but Akaashi didn’t hold a grudge. If anything, he felt joy watching his fiancé muttering excitedly to himself, tongue poking out as he tapped through the system on the screen in front of him. 

Bokuto didn’t notice the absence of his beloved until a minute later, he received an error message. He frowned. “Comms down again, seriously?” he grumbled. “Ah well, better go fix that! Let’s go, Akaashi!” Golden eyes flickered up, and his head turned. “Huh, Akaashi must have gone somewhere else.”

* * *

When people said that Kuroo and Kenma were always together, they meant it. And yet, those same people also always looked at the pair and wondered— how the hell did that work?

To the untrained eye, they seemed to be polar opposites. But as all of their regular crew mates knew, they just…worked, somehow. Better than somehow, actually. 

They had set off together to begin their work without even a passing glance— it was just expected that where one went, the other followed. By the time they had finished up in weapons, Kuroo had already cross-referenced their lists of tasks and mapped out a plan of where to go to next. 

They worked together flawlessly, making up where the other was lacking. Kenma excelled at anything having to do with communications and weapons, while Kuroo was the go-to team member for electronics and samples in the med bay. Even if they were compatible in other ways, teaming up just made sense. 

The next stop on Kuroo’s mental map had them in navigation. Their systems needed a bit of recalibrating— nothing too stressful. But when he was done, the man in red stepped back, his heart melting at the sight before him. 

His partner in yellow was gazing out of the observation window, the stars reflecting in his cat-like irises. And, well, Kuroo simply couldn’t help himself. 

He crossed the short distance between them, wrapping his arms around the smaller man and resting his chin on bleached hair. 

“Kuroo,” Kenma murmured, squirming a bit. “Stop it. Not now.” 

He just sighed and squeezed tighter. “Sorry, you’re too beautiful to resist.” The hitch in Kenma’s breath wouldn’t have been noticeable to others. Nor would the blush that Kuroo was certain had formed. 

When his boyfriend leaned back into his chest, Kuroo hummed contentedly. “This is familiar, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah.” 

It had been a year since they’d confessed their feelings in a moment like this, gazing out at the stars, feeling homesick and accidentally finding a home in each other. It had been a little different though— Kuroo had been flustered, blushing and stammering his way around the right words until finally Kenma had stood up on his tiptoes and shut him up in the best way possible. 

Yeah, they work more than just well together.

* * *

“See, if _I_ was the infiltrator, I would target the oxygen lines!” Hinata claimed. His cheery smile was cut by the shifty look he put in his eyes, glancing around the storage room theatrically. 

“Dumbass,” Kageyama rolled his eyes, “we all know that’s the easiest thing on this ship to fix. All you gotta do is punch in the code again to reset the system.” 

Hinata stuck his tongue out in retaliation. The pair continued their mundane task of filling up the fuel tanks. Honestly, they wished the other crew members had a little more faith in them, but it’s what they got for being the youngest and least experienced. 

A few minutes passed in companionable silence. Then, Hinata bit his lip. “Still, though. You don’t actually think those rumors are true, right? About a…” Milk chocolate eyes looked around. His voice lowered to a whisper, “…a _spy?”_

Kageyama shifted uncomfortably in his deep blue spacesuit. “Well, I don’t know, but…I know it’s not me.”

“And I didn’t suspect you!” Hinata replied immediately, hopping up and planting a kiss on Kageyama’s cheek. The taller of the two blushed. The astronauts had only been dating for a couple weeks now, and the shorter one in orange still managed to fluster him at the most random of times. 

“W-Well then,” he stammered. “What’s the point in worrying, right? We’ve got each other.” 

Hinata nodded firmly. “Mmhm! And when you’re with me, you’re invincible!” 

Kageyama’s blush only deepened. He’d never forget the first time his boyfriend said that— strong, courageous, tears in his eyes after they’d just avoided near disaster and then pouncing on him and confessing his love. It was a memory he wanted burned into his brain forever. 

But alas, Kageyama was bad with words, so all he did was ruffle orange hair and scoff, “Yeah, yeah. Can you bring over another tank to fill?” 

Hinata’s face brightened. “Sure thing!” The figure in orange skipped over to the other side of the storage room. As soon as he was beyond the boxes and out of sight, Kageyama let out a sigh. He hated how difficult it was to express how much he adored the other man. He hated that he always reverted to stupid insults to cover up how flustered he was. 

He hated how the words “I love you” had been on the tip of his tongue the past few days. 

Shaking his head, Kageyama refocused on his duties. “Everything counts, even the little things,” Oikawa always said— though it was with a mocking tone, so maybe it was a joke. 

The loud sound of fuel splashing into the tank filled up the room, as well as helped get all of those pesky thoughts out of his head. When it was filled, Kageyama capped it off and stood up, holding it out as usual for Hinata to take. 

Except, Hinata wasn’t there. 

“Oi, where’d you go, dumbass?” he groaned. The room was silent— wait, what was that? It sounded like the scraping of a metal grate. Muttering darkly to himself about his sometimes-incompetent boyfriend, Kageyama set the tank down and began walking around the boxes. “It doesn’t take that long to get a—“ 

He would never finish that sentence. 

Because Hinata was on the floor, foam spilling out of his mouth and eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling. An empty syringe was on the floor next to him. 

A broken sob wrenched its way out of Kageyama’s throat. “No,” he whispered. “No no no no no _no_. Babe,” he cried, falling to his knees and shaking limp shoulders, “Hinata, wake up, come on, you gotta—“ Tears were streaming. “You— you dumbass! This isn’t funny! Stop messing with me!” There was no reply. No laugh, no beaming smile, no sparkling eyes. 

Choking, Kageyama set his forehead against his lover’s. “I love you,” he croaked. No reply again. He slammed his fist into the floor. “Dammit, I _love_ you! Wake up!” 

He didn’t know how long he knelt there, screaming and crying and pleading. All he did know was that when he finally reached for his comms, his voice was hoarse and crackling. 

“Kageyama, reporting in. Hinata…he— he’s gone.” 

* * *

The only one who even dared to get close to Kageyama was Nishinoya. The smaller astronaut gave the shell-shocked man a hug, whispering something with glassy eyes before he made his way back over to Asahi, who seemed equally distraught. Everyone else kept their distance. No one knew what to say. 

Then finally, Kuroo cleared his throat. “I was with Kenma the entire time.” All eyes at the cafeteria table flicked up in surprise. The man in red simply crossed his arms. “What? It’s a fair assumption. We have an alibi. Does everyone else?” 

For a second, the gaping continued. Then, out of nowhere, Nishinoya stood up and slammed his fists on the table. “Asahi and me were together the whole time! And even if we hadn’t been, we’d never do something like that! Hinata is our friend!” 

“Was,” Kenma whispered. He hadn’t said a word since Kageyama’s report. Kuroo was quick to wrap his arm around the smaller man. 

“Yeah, well same with us!” Bokuto claimed. “We were in admin, and then—“ Golden eyes darted to meet turquoise ones. “Actually, wait, where’d you go while I was working on my file transfer?” 

Akaashi shook his head. “I told you I was going to the oxygen tanks—“ 

“That’s suspicious.” 

Everyone froze. Bokuto’s head whipped around as though he’d been slapped. Kuroo just shrugged. “What? It is. I’m not saying anything that’s not obvious.” 

Bokuto’s teeth gritted together. “He’s your _friend,_ how could you—“

“Sweetheart,” Akaashi murmured. He placed a black suited hand over his fiancé’s white one. “Kuroo has a point.” His eyes turned to the man in red. “I know it’s nothing personal.” 

“What _is_ personal,” Iwaizumi spoke up, “Is that Hinata is dead. We all need to be on high alert now. I agree with Kuroo—“ there was a growl from Bokuto, and Iwaizumi silenced it with a glare. “We all need to stay in teams from now on. For the record, Oikawa and I were also— Oikawa?” 

But he didn’t get a response. Instead, the cyan-suited man stood up and stormed out, stalking away with his hands and jaw clenched tightly. Every man there understood the feeling. None of them liked this situation, either. 

Silence reigned for a moment, then, “We have to keep working,” Kenma murmured. “He’d want that. And there’s no other choice.” 

There was an air of silent agreement. Pairs began to trickle out after that, each one walking closer than they had before. 

Kageyama was left in silence. At some point, he began the short journey to the med bay. It was like some sort of sick pull— Oikawa had always joked that the two had some weird psychic link. Maybe that still worked when one of them was dead. 

When he entered, Hinata’s body was laid out on one of the beds, right where he’d left him. He sat down next to him and opened his mouth to speak. Nothing came out. What could Kageyama possibly say? None of it would be heard, anyways. 

A fresh round of tears welled up in his eyes. He sat there, head bowed, and cried for the man he’d never been able to love how he wanted to.

* * *

For someone so small and fragile-looking, Kenma was a trooper. Always had been, always would be. That’s what Kuroo repeated to himself in his mind as he watched Kenma scan the cameras unblinkingly. 

Kenma had lead them to the security room without saying a word. He didn’t need to— it made sense enough. If there was something suspicious going on (and there clearly was), then this was the most ideal place to keep an eye on everyone. 

The man in yellow had one hand on the mouse and one hand clutched tightly in Kuroo’s. His partner in red was facing the opposite direction, watching his back to ensure no one snuck up on them. 

On the outside, Kuroo’s face was as blank as ever. On the inside, though, he was terrified. 

His mind drifted to the ring he’d ordered just before their launch date was announced— custom made and engraved with his lover’s favorite constellations. It was supposed to be there in time for when they returned. 

Kuroo hummed mindlessly as usual, filling the silence. But then, when the thought occurred to him that he might not ever get to give Kenma that ring, to ask him to spend the rest of his life with him among the stars, he stopped. 

Instantly, his hand was being tugged. Kuroo blinked. He turned his head to see Kenma offering him a soft smile. 

“Hey,” he said. “We’re gonna be okay. This isn’t our first mission.” 

Kuroo forced a smile onto his face. “Of course, kitten.” He leaned down, kissing his partner gently. Kenma squeezed his hand once more before he returned to his work. The second he looked away, Kuroo’s chest was gripped with pain. Something told him this wouldn’t be like every other mission. But he’d be damned if anything happened to Kenma. 

And so, he turned back around to stand guard, missing the sight on the monitor of two figures in dark green and cyan raging through the hallways.

* * *

Iwaizumi had just about had it. “Would you slow down, already?” he groaned, picking up the pace. “Come on, I know you’re freaked out, but let’s talk about this—“ 

“I don’t WANT to talk about it, I want off this ship!” Oikawa screeched. 

The other man slapped a green gloved hand to his face. “What are you talking about?” he demanded. “This is your dream! It’s always been your dream!” 

“Yeah, well this one is starting to feel like a nightmare!” 

At this point, Oikawa was just straight up running away from him, and Iwaizumi didn’t know why. He didn’t know what he’d done. He knew Oikawa was probably scared— hell, he was too— but he also knew that they needed to stick together. So if chasing him around the ship accomplished that _and_ cleared their names, that was what he was going to do. 

Oikawa suddenly ducked into communications, and Iwaizumi swore under his breath. Of course he’d go in there— he had the code to lock the door. Iwaizumi only just managed to force his hand through the door before it could shut, and he thanked god for that safety protocol. 

There was a whimper, then the sound of something dropping to the floor. When dark eyes turned to see what it was, they saw Oikawa with his back against the wall, lip trembling. Something in Iwaizumi’s heart broke. 

“Oikawa—“ 

“Don’t!” the other yelped. “I’m fine! Don’t come closer!” 

There was an undeclared staring match for ten seconds. Then, Iwaizumi took a step forward. Oikawa flinched. Another step, then another. Finally, he was close enough to see that the other’s entire body was shaking. His heart pounding, Iwaizumi reached a hand out— 

Only for Oikawa to duck away. “Don’t touch me!” 

Tense silence overtook the room. Milk chocolate eyes were wide with terror. “D-Don’t—“ he stammered. “I-I can’t…I can’t trust you. Leave me _alone,_ Iwa-chan.” 

“I’m not going to do that,” Iwaizumi replied calmly. He lifted his hands in a display of innocence. “You know why I can’t leave you alone. We need to stick together—“ 

“Well that’s convenient,” Oikawa spat. “Having me alone, just you and me, an easy way to do whatever you want with no one else seeing—“ 

Iwaizumi’s already thin patience snapped. _“What_ are you _talking_ about?” he growled. “I’m sticking by you to protect us—“ 

“The spy!” the other groaned. When Iwaizumi’s eyebrows went up, Oikawa just whimpered and slid down the wall, clutching at his hair. “The rumors before we launched, Hinata being killed— it’s connected. It’s _all_ connected, and we’re _all_ in danger, and I can’t—“ His voice cracked. Eyes filled with tears looked up into Iwaizumi’s. “I can’t trust anyone,” he whispered. “Not even you.” 

Something inside Iwaizumi shattered. So that’s what all of it was— it even explained how skittish Oikawa had been earlier, before it all happened. He moved to kneel in front of him, but Oikawa didn’t seem to notice, continuing on, “I’d been hearing about it for weeks now, something about sabotage and nonsense, but I didn’t want to _believe_ it, I didn’t think— _ah!“_

Oikawa gasped. Iwaizumi only continued to wipe at the tears. They didn’t belong on such a beautiful face.   
  
“I wish you’d told me sooner,” he murmured. “I had no idea— hadn’t heard any of that, actually.” Oikawa just sniffled, glancing away. When his face was finally dry, Iwaizumi’s hand left, searching for the other’s hand. He found it and squeezed. 

“I’ve been with you the whole time, Oikawa,” Iwaizumi said. “I didn’t leave your side once.” 

That fact processed in Oikawa’s mind slowly— Iwaizumi could see it. Finally, his partner let out a shuddering breath. “Uh-huh.” 

He nodded. “That’s right. So I wouldn’t have had an opportunity to—“ Iwaizumi swallowed. He couldn’t say it. “To do _that,_ right?” 

It clicked, and suddenly, Iwaizumi had an armful of Oikawa. 

“Oh thank god,” Oikawa breathed against his neck. Iwaizumi fought the shivers it elicited. As soon as he’d embraced him, Oikawa leaned back. His eyes were still watery, still in pain. But now, they held a spark of hope. 

“Well,” he said, smiling shakily. “If I am trapped on a spaceship with a killer, at least I have Iwa-chan.” 

It was as though his name broke the magic spell. At the same moment, the realization of how close they were burst in their eyes like a supernova. Iwaizumi scrambled back, coughing awkwardly. 

* * *

Akaashi had been quiet ever since the meeting. Bokuto’s heart was broken— he remembered mentoring Hinata himself. He remembered those eyes that lit up whenever he learned something new, the happy “good morning” he received every day without fail, the way Hinata had been jumping for joy when he stepped foot onto his first mission. 

Bokuto felt like a piece of him had been ripped away. 

But, for the sake of his fiancé, he put on a smile. It wasn’t easy for any of them, he knew that— but he couldn’t imagine what it was like to be in Akaashi’s place, to be so blatantly accused of something so horrible. 

Strengthening his heart, Bokuto stepped forward and nuzzled his nose against Akaashi’s. “Hey.” 

A shaky smile came onto Akaashi’s face. “H-Hey,” he whispered. “Sorry, I— I should’ve…are you alright?” The broken tone in his fiancé’s voice made his heart crack even more. 

“As alright as I can be,” Bokuto replied honestly. He cocked his head to the side. “And you?” 

His partner in black swallowed roughly. “Same.” 

Bokuto took a moment to glance around. They were in navigation, and it seemed like no one else was coming this way. Thus, he turned back and took Akaashi’s face in his hands, pressing their lips together. 

His fiancé let out a surprised noise, but was all too satisfied at the prospect of melting into him. So, he did. The tool in Akaashi’s hand clattered to the floor in favor of finding Bokuto’s waist. He clung on tightly. Bokuto did, too. At least they always had each other. 

After a few moment of bliss, they parted. Reality came back (pain with it). But the two just smiled sadly at each other, intent to move forward. 

“Want to go to check the shields next? I know you like it best,” Akaashi offered. Bokuto happily accepted. 

* * *

Asahi was a wreck, and no one could blame him. The tender-hearted man was usually one for nerves, but…in a situation like this, who wouldn’t be having a meltdown? 

The large man was sobbing uncontrollably. Nishinoya had seen his boyfriend cry before, but nothing like this. They’d barely made it out of the cafeteria before he’d collapsed. And so, here they were, in weapons. Asahi was sitting in the big chair where usually someone would be taking care of spare astroids. Nishinoya was in his lap, running a hand through soft brown locks and cooing sweetly. 

It wasn’t that Nishinoya was immune to the pain— far from it. His heart had shattered the moment Kageyama’s report had come in. But supporting Asahi was familiar territory. It gave him something to do, something to focus on. Something to keep his mind off of the reality that one of his best friends was dead. 

“Shh, it’s alright,” Nishinoya murmured. There was another sob. “I know you’re scared, and that’s okay. It’s normal to feel scared right now. You’re not alone. I’m here with you. We are going to get through this together.” 

Asahi was shaking his head now, so Nishinoya set about creating a path of kisses across his face. Sometimes, words just didn’t work anymore. 

Nishinoya had just pressed a kiss to his lover’s jaw when Asahi started muttering, “…can’t do this, I can’t do this, I can’t do this.” The smaller man’s heart squeezed painfully. Not sure what else to do, he simply draped himself over Asahi and wrapped his arms around his neck. 

Asahi continued his whispered pleas for all this to be over, and for the first time ever, Nishinoya wondered if following his dreams to the stars was the right choice. 

* * *

It took a while, but Kageyama finally managed to get his shit together. It was probably because he could practically hear that annoying ( _entrancing_ ) voice in his head shouting, “What are you doing sitting around, Lazy-yama! We’ve got work to do!” 

His limbs felt heavy as he got up off the med bay bed. He gave one last look at his boyfriend. His lids were shut now, and his hair still looked so soft. A hand reached forward to touch— no. No more stalling. He had a job to do. 

Crossing the short distance from the bed to the comms station in the med bay felt like it took years. Kageyama pressed the keypad buttons numbly, bypassing the usual setup for file uploads and connecting to the headquarters server. He had to send out a beacon to home. Figure out a way to turn this ship around. Something. Even if everyone else was determined to continue this trip, he sure as hell wasn’t.

A few more button presses, and a new screen came up— Commander Daichi and Officer Suga were connecting to the call. The faint warmth of hope lit up his heart for a second. 

But then, there was an error notice. All communications on the ship were down. 

The flicker of hope quickly morphed into anger. Growling, Kageyama rebooted the monitor. He was going to get an SOS out if it was the last thing he did. The monitor went dark as it began the rebooting process. He waited, jaw and hands clenched. Not too much longer, it should start up again soon—

The lights went out. 

Kageyama wanted to scream, wanted to beat the walls until his knuckles bled. This had to be the worst day in the history of all eternity. And you know what, fuck it, maybe he will punch the wall. Nothing else could go wrong at this point anyways, so what the fuck did it matter? 

And then he heard it— the sound of a metal grate rattling. The same one he heard before in storage. Before…before….

He made to turn his head, but it was too late. 

Someone else had twisted it for him.

* * *

“Kuroo, it’s not an option, we have to get the comms back up—“ 

The man in question wished the lights were on. He wished his boyfriend could see the panic in his eyes. He wished he could show him that he was terrified, that he truly believed they should just stay put and not risk it. 

But wishing wouldn’t help anyone. “No, we’re staying here, Kenma. I’m not letting you go out there.” 

At that moment, the lights flickered back on— and the sight before him nearly had Kuroo stumbling back in shock. 

Kenma was glaring up at him, determination shining through his eyes like a solar flare. Kuroo swallowed. “I-I mean…we could, we could go together—“ 

His partner in yellow shook his head. “No. You need to stay here and watch security. I’ll go fix the comms.” 

Kuroo reached out a hand. “But—“ 

“I’m not your little kitten, Kuroo.” 

The taller man recoiled as though he’d been slapped. “I…I know, but I can’t have you just running off and—“ 

“Shouyo was my friend.” 

A familiar, ill-timed spike of jealousy ran through Kuroo. He knew the two had been close. On any other day, this would be the start of another insecurity-filled discussion that ended with Kenma once again having to reassure him that only one person held his heart. But today, all it did was make Kuroo angry. 

“And _you’re **my**_ boyfriend,” he snarled. “You’re my person, my one, my _future,_ and I can’t—“ Kuroo had to gasp for air, panic rising and making his lungs feel like they were being squeezed. “I can’t _lose_ you, Kenma!” 

Shock. Shock was what he saw in Kenma’s eyes. And for a second, Kuroo thought he’d won. He thought that Kenma would stay. 

But then that shock melted into fury. 

“I am not having this argument with you right now,” Kenma hissed. “If you don’t believe that I love you and only you, then—“ he cut himself off, shaking his head. He shouldered his way past Kuroo. “I’m going to go fix the comms. Don’t follow me.” 

Kuroo knew better than to try. He’d fucked up big time. 

By the time he’d thought of a response, a plea— Kenma’s footsteps echoed far down the hallway. Kuroo collapsed into the security desk chair and tried to not cry. He loved Kenma, he did…why couldn’t Kenma understand how terrified he was right now? 

But it was too late to ask those questions. Instead, Kuroo resigned to tracking Kenma on the monitors. At least he had one way to look over him. 

Kuroo watched the figure in yellow trot along the hallways to the comms center. His mind wandered to ways he could beg for forgiveness. Maybe he could tell Kenma about the ring? No, he didn’t want to manipulate him…he would just be honest. Tell Kenma he was sorry. Tell him that he shouldn’t have yelled. Tell him he loved him. 

Caught up in his thoughts, Kuroo didn’t hear the door slide shut behind him, nor the sound of a knife being slipped out of a pocket. 

* * *

Oikawa was an ugly mix of righteous anger and debilitating anxiety. No matter what Iwa-chan said, lights were _not_ vital to the functionality of the ship. What _was_ vital was surviving, and venturing out of the comms room to go fix said lights was not part of that plan. 

The plan…his plan for his life. He scoffed. Seemed silly now to try to plan out something so horrifically erratic and unstable as life. What had even come about from his life? What had he accomplished? His mind drifted to a certain dark green suited astronaut. 

He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time. 

Milk chocolate eyes glanced around the room he’d decided to hunker down in. No one else had the key code to this room (so far as he knew). He still couldn’t believe Iwa-chan thought something as stupid as lights was worth the risk. 

Therefore, it was all Oikawa could do to not immediately cry when he heard a familiar knock on the door. He unlocked it, stepping back only enough for Iwa-chan to slip in before he secured it back. Oikawa promptly slumped against the wall in relief. 

“Anything happen?” he puffed out. 

Iwaizumi shook a negative. “Not a thing. Passed by Bokuto and Akaashi, but that was it.” 

Oikawa nodded wearily. The room fell silent, save for the sounds of Iwaizumi pacing. Oikawa’s gaze fell on him when he heard the muttering begin. Iwa-chan…there was so much he’d hoped for. So much he’d dreamed of, fantasized about at night as he drifted off to sleep. And here he was, pathetic and still not able to confess his feelings even as they were seconds away from a death trap. 

He swallowed nervously, his heart pounding. He needed to say it. He _had_ to say it. Oikawa took in a sharp breath. “Iwa—“ 

A loud click resounded through the room. 

The pair jolted. Iwa-chan was at the door before Oikawa had scrambled to his feet, and when he pulled on the handle— nothing. It was locked tight. 

Oikawa watched as his partner’s eyes widened. “The— the code,” he stammered. “Put your code in!” He obeyed without hesitation. He pressed enter, and the keypad lit up green. Iwa-chan tugged on the door again. 

It was still locked. That meant the emergency lock had been engaged. The one neither of them knew how to disable. 

Any shred of sanity Oikawa had left quickly left his body. 

“No,” he whined. He ripped his gloves off, clawing at the door. “ _No._ There’s gotta be some way, we can’t—” A sob ripped from his throat. “We’re stuck, _actually_ stuck, someone locked us in, we have to—“ 

Oikawa didn’t know what he was saying anymore. He barely knew what he was doing, either— the pain of his hands being torn apart by panicked pawing at the metal door didn’t register. He didn’t feel the blood seeping out, didn’t hear Iwaizumi yelling at him to stop, to calm down, please, Oikawa you’re only hurting yourself, stop it—!

And then he was being bodily wrenched away from the door. His breaths were shallow, his chest heaving. He only came back to reality when he felt his back hit the wall. 

Iwa-chan’s dark eyes were in front of his. They were scared, angry, too, but mostly scared. Iwa-chan was panting…why? 

Then there was the sensation of Oikawa’s wrists being gripped even tighter, and _oh._ Iwa-chan was pinning him against the wall, holding his wrists to force him to stop panicking. 

Their combined harsh breathing filled the room, as well as the little space between them. Iwa-chan’s eyes were searching his, just like they should be searching for a way out, because they were here, locked in comms together, on a space ship with a murderer on it, and— 

_Fuck it,_ Oikawa thinks, crushing his lips against Iwaizumi’s. If he was gonna die, then he was going to make sure he didn’t have any regrets. 

Iwa-chan groaned against his mouth. Tongues slipped in easily, as though they’d done this a million times (he’d certainly thought about it a million times). Oikawa’s wrists were still being pinned, and Iwa-chan’s chest was pressing against his, hips bucking suddenly, and _shit._ This wouldn’t be a terrible way to go. 

* * *

There was the sound of familiar footsteps behind Akaashi. “Ah, did you find that wrench I needed, Bokuto?”

His fiancé nodded, hair swaying. “Yup!” 

Akaashi was grateful for Bokuto’s presence again. Being alone in the top engine room with nothing but the rumbling noises was uncomfortable. But with Bokuto, there was always some mindless tune being hummed— Akaashi liked that. It calmed him, reassured him. And given the tense situation, he was glad for Bokuto’s ability to stay upbeat. The arms snaking around his waist, however… 

“Bokuto-san, do you really think that now is the time?” Akaashi said, forcing his voice to remain neutral even as he felt his cheeks heat up. He’d already indulged in a few kisses earlier— they couldn’t afford any more distractions.

“What? I’m not doing anything,” Bokuto insisted, even as his nose was dropping down to nuzzle Akaashi’s neck. It was a little more earnest than usual. Akaashi frowned. Bokuto really didn’t typically engage in this sort of behavior when they were on a shift. 

Then it hit him all at once— Bokuto had comforted him about the situation, but Akaashi hadn’t tried to comfort Bokuto. Instead, he’d just let himself be swept along and swept off his feet, like always. Akaashi felt the age-old feeling of not being enough begin to well up, but he pushed it down. 

The man in black sighed, turning around to peck Bokuto on the lips. The fingers on his waist tightened, and Akaashi parted only after several seconds had passed. “Just let me flip one more switch, okay Bokuto? And then I’ll give you a moment.” 

The smile he received was more than enough to convince him he’d made the right choice. 

* * *

The guilt Asahi felt was immeasurable. He didn’t know how long they’d been there, sitting in weapons, Nishinoya in his lap whispering sweet nothings to try to make him feel better. But he was finally calming down, and when Asahi came back to reality, he was met with sparkling chocolate brown eyes and an understanding smile. 

“Noya,” his voice cracked. “My love, I—“ 

“Shh, it’s okay, you don’t have to apologize. I’m—“ the smaller man’s voice broke off into a shuddering breath. “I’m scared, too,” he admitted.

Asahi shook his head, swallowing. “No, I— Noya, we have to get off of this ship, contact Commander Daichi, _something—_ “ 

Noya looked ready to disagree, but whatever he could say was cut off by an alarm. Their eyes widened. They’d only ever heard that sound during training—

The reactor was having a meltdown.

Nishinoya was out of his lap and on his feet before Asahi could even blink. And then, he was being tugged along by the man in purple. “C’mon!” Noya yelled over the alarm. “It needs two of us to reset the system— let’s hurry!” 

Asahi stumbled after his boyfriend mindlessly. No, _no,_ he couldn’t do this, he didn’t have the strength, he— 

They entered the reactor room, and Nishinoya’s hand left his. In a blur, Noya was over on one end of the room, palm on the reset scanner. He was shouting, screaming at Asahi to move, but his feet were frozen, anchored to the floor by a gravity he’d never experienced before, one he knew he couldn’t escape from. 

Nishinoya’s eyes were wide, scared, and soon, it was all hidden in the haze of tears that filled Asahi’s eyes. 

“Sweetie, come on!” he heard distantly. “I know you’re scared, but please— we only have ten seconds left, just— Asahi, go put your hand on the damn scanner! Sweetie, please, I—“   
  
A blur of dark green rushed past him, knocking Asahi to the ground. 

There was more yelling— Oikawa? — and finally, _finally,_ the alarms stopped. 

People were talking instantly. 

“Where’d you guys come from?” 

“We were stuck in comms—“ 

“—emergency protocol, it must have let us out—“ 

“—is he okay? It doesn’t look like—“ 

“Asahi, sweetie.” 

The large man jolted. Nishinoya was kneeling down in front of him, confusion in his eyes. Asahi vaguely registered Iwaizumi and Oikawa talking in hushed tones off to the side. 

He shuddered. “I-I can’t—“ 

“Hey, hey,” Noya soothed. “That was scary, wasn’t it? I’m sorry for yelling at you, but I didn’t know what else—“ 

Asahi shook his head. He couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t, he had to— “It’s me,” he choked out. 

Chocolate eyes blinked. “Huh?” 

“I-I,” Asahi’s breath hitched. “I— the rumors, the spy— it’s me. I was sent on this mission to sabotage it, a-and—“ a sob wrenched its way forth. “I-I’m so sorry, Noya, but I swear, I didn’t do it, I-I didn’t— I had no idea about Hinata, I swear!” 

Asahi had known Nishinoya long enough that he could read his face like a book— not that it was that difficult. But when he saw Noya’s expression turn from one of horror to absolute trust, Asahi wanted to weep even more. He didn’t deserve it, he didn’t deserve his sort of love, this loyalty. He didn’t deserve someone as amazing and kind and beautiful as Noya. 

“Okay,” his boyfriend replied, as though they were talking about the weather, and seriously? How was he taking this so calmly? “Okay,” he repeated. “I know you’re telling the truth. I know you didn’t do any of this. I know we can still work together, we can figure this out, you and me—“ 

A hand had been reaching out toward his face. Asahi flinched away from it. “N-No,” he stammered. “I-I…no, we can’t, _I_ can’t, just—“ A shudder went through his body. He knew what he had to do. At this point, he would only be a burden, and he couldn’t do that. Not to his one and only love. 

Asahi scrambled to his feet and stumbled backward just in time to avoid being caught by Noya’s outstretched hand. “S-Stay with someone else,” he pleaded. “I can’t— I can’t help you, I can’t be what you need. I’m sorry, Noya.” 

He ran. 

If heartbreak had a sound, he would’ve heard it loud and clear. It would’ve been easy, too— the room had fallen silent, Oikawa and Iwaizumi giving space for the lover’s spat. 

The silence remained for only a short time. 

As Nishinoya stood there, hand still out and tears flooding his eyes, the sound of footsteps approaching echoed in the quiet. 

They entered the reactor room. There was a beat, and then— _“You.”_

* * *

Kenma thought he knew what anger was. Though people didn’t believe it, Kenma was familiar with the full range of human emotions— he just wasn’t comfortable showing it around others. Showing emotion meant being vulnerability. Vulnerability meant weak spots. Weak spots meant exploitation. So far, Kuroo was the only one who hadn’t exploited them. 

Kuroo. His star. The one who he knew had ordered an engagement ring for him because Kuroo didn’t remember to delete his internet search history. The one he had just found dead in the room across the hall. 

He hadn’t cared when the reactor alert had gone off. It could’ve blown up, and he would’ve been happy. But no, now that his life was spared, he had another one to snuff out. 

He stalked into the reactor room and saw three people. One of them had blood on his suit. _“You,”_ he snarled, and from there, it was all a blur. 

There were shouts as two people tried to pull him off of Iwaizumi. 

“He’s gone crazy!” 

“A sedative— we need a sedative— go to the med bay!” 

“We don’t have time, just knock him out!” 

There was pain, then darkness. 

* * *

Iwaizumi felt sick to his stomach. Hinata’s death had been enough— he was their little ball of sunshine, his go-to man for any mission, no matter how dangerous. And then there was Kuroo— fuck, who knew how long he’d been dead. And then, when they finally took Kenma to the med bay to restrain him, intent on interrogating him for why he went crazy— Kageyama was there. Right next to the scanner. Neck snapped and head twisted around grotesquely, blank eyes staring into his own. 

Enough was enough. 

They’d placed the dead bodies in the med bay in silence, had restrained Kenma to the captain’s chair in silence, and now, the remaining crew sat around the center table in the cafeteria in that same silence.

Asahi and Nishinoya weren’t sitting next to each other, he noted vaguely. Bokuto was openly weeping on Akaashi’s shoulder, muttering something about a ring that was pretty, so pretty, was going to arrive just in time—

And finally, next to him, Oikawa was a ghost, pale and unmoving. The difference between his countenance now and an hour ago when he’d been up against the wall would’ve been laughable in other circumstances. 

The silence could have gone on forever— but it didn’t. Finally, Bokuto lifted his red-rimmed eyes. His expression was shattered, but it slowly turned to ice. “Why did Kenma attack you?” 

Iwaizumi swallowed roughly. He should’ve known this would happen. “I don’t know. I think…I think it’s because of the blood on my suit.” 

All eyes fell to the splatters in question. The tension thickened. Bokuto opened his mouth again, but before he could—

Oikawa slammed his hands on the table. “It’s not what it looks like!” he claimed. “I injured myself, see?” He held out his palms, showing the lacerations. “The blood is mine, and even if it wasn’t, Iwa-chan was with me the whole time—“ 

“Not true,” Akaashi muttered softly. “We passed him in the hall when the lights were out. He was alone then.” 

Oikawa’s face paled, and a lightening bolt of fear struck through Iwaizumi’s heart. There was no way around it, now— Oikawa wasn’t going to trust him anymore. He wouldn’t defend him. He’d already been paranoid, and Iwaizumi had tried to console him, but leaving even for a bit had broken his promise, and now—

“N-No.” 

Iwaizumi gasped when shaking fingers laced through his. His eyes shot up to see Oikawa, eyes terrified and bottom lip trembling, but strong. “I stand by him,” he said. “No matter what.” 

Silence. 

“We can’t ignore the facts,” Nishinoya spoke up. His voice was gravelly from crying, and his eyes were red. “Iwaizumi, you were the one who said to stay in teams. And now we find out that you didn’t follow that rule, and three people are dead. Ignoring the obvious isn’t on the table right now.” 

Oikawa clutched his hand tighter. They knew what this meant. They all knew the protocol. 

One by one, Nishinoya, Akaashi, and Bokuto pulled out their identification cards. Asahi did so last, and Oikawa gulped. They were outnumbered— the majority vote won. Still— 

Oikawa jumped up from the table. “No! I refuse!” he shouted. “We can’t kick him off, we can’t—!” He was stopped only because Iwaizumi put a hand over his mouth.   
  
The man in green nodded solemnly. “I understand the team’s decision. I will act in accordance to protocol.” 

The walk to the shuttle pods was agonizing. 

Oikawa was fidgeting next to him, silent, but radiating enough anxiety to make it palpable. As for Iwaizumi, his mind was running rampant with so many thoughts that he didn’t know what to think. 

They were at the pods all too quickly. Each of the majority members swiped their cards. The door to the shuttle nearest to the control panel hissed open. 

There was a choked sob from the man in cyan next to him, and enough was enough. Casting a glare at his team, Iwaizumi stepped forward, took Oikawa’s face in his hands, and pressed their lips together. 

Someone gasped. He ignored it. 

Oikawa was trembling against him, tears streaming down between them until Iwaizumi wasn’t sure whose they were anymore. When they parted, Iwaizumi quickly put his lips to Oikawa’s ear. 

“Get kicked off,” he whispered. “Do something, _anything_ to make them suspicious.” 

When he pulled away, Oikawa’s eyes were wide. Iwaizumi couldn’t help it— he kissed him again. 

“I’ll see you back on Earth,” he breathed. And with that, he stepped away and into the pod. He refused to look back. He refused to see Oikawa crying again. No, the next time they saw each other, they’d be smiling. He’d make sure of that.

* * *

With the pod launching sequence activated, the others didn’t stick around to watch. It wasn’t like it was a cheerful event, anyways. 

Akaashi and Bokuto headed to the med bay to seal the bodies away in their containers— a respectful measure to preserve the bodies for their funerals that Nishinoya couldn’t even imagine doing right now. Not with all the hurt lancing through his heart. 

Speaking of hurt…he looked over at Asahi, staring at where the pod had been. Asahi had voted in favor of kicking Iwaizumi off even when he knew he was innocent. Or was he? Was Asahi working with someone else? Because Asahi couldn’t have done any of this himself— Nishinoya had been with him the entire time. But so had everyone else with their respective partners…

Noya’s head began to ache. He didn’t know what to believe anymore.   


* * *

Kenma woke up just in time to see the shuttle pod pass by the navigation windows. He didn’t register it, though. He didn’t register the bindings tying him to the chair, either. All he registered was the void in his chest, sucking everything out of him. 

When footsteps echoed softly behind him, he didn’t care. “Do it,” he murmured. “Take my life the same way you took his.” 

The stab to the heart felt like a pinch compared to the pain in his soul. 

* * *

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Bokuto knew that tears couldn’t bring back a dead man, let alone three. 

Yet he still wept. 

He wept like a child that got separated from their mother in a store— lost, helpless, not knowing what to do or who to turn to. Well, accept for the person he always turned to. 

Akaashi re-entered the med bay, files in hand. Bokuto didn’t know what he’d do without him. His rock, his shield, his comforter— his everything. If they survived this, he’d make sure Akaashi knew how much he loved him. He knew now that you never really knew when it’d be your last chance to tell someone that. 

Slender fingers laced through his own. Bokuto fought back a fresh wave of tears. Slowly, in that gentle voice that soothed every ache, every pain, Akaashi read off the files. It was something he’d never thought he’d have to do— listen to the instructions each crew member left for how they wanted their body to be taken care of in the case of an untimely death. Bokuto couldn’t even remember what was on his file. It had seemed like such a silly question on the paperwork at the time. 

The hand stroking his back was the only reason Bokuto was able to begin respecting the wishes of his fallen friends.

* * *

Oikawa had never needed to wonder what his life without Iwaizumi would look like because it had never seemed like a possibility. But now, it was reality, and that reality also included multiple murders on what was now a suicide mission. 

What did Iwa-chan mean? How could he get kicked off? What could he possibly do? Oikawa knew he’d never have the heart to hurt one of his crew mates. He just… he couldn’t. 

Then it clicked: Kenma. Kenma’s attack had gotten Iwa-chan voted off. He had to stage something, get him to fake it— whatever. He didn’t care at this point. All he knew was that Iwa-chan was flying through space back to Earth, and Oikawa was going to follow him. 

He ran through the halls of the ship like a man being chased. And when he reached navigation, _god—_ he could barely hold in the bile. 

Shaking, Oikawa reached for the knife lodged in Kenma’s chest. There was a sick _squelch_ as he pulled it out.

“Oikawa, reporting in. Kenma is dead in navigation. It’s— it’s me. I did it.”

* * *

The atmosphere in the cafeteria was stifling. On one hand, Bokuto looked ready to murder. He had from the moment Oikawa had confessed all the way up to his pod shooting off into space, hurtling back toward Earth. It was only lessened now by a thick layer of grief. Akaashi, on the other hand, looked like he’d seen a ghost. 

Nishinoya wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to take Asahi into a back room and kiss him until they were both breathless because who knew what would happen now? Who knew when he would breathe his last breath? Kiss his last kiss? Say his last I love you?

Heart and head hurting, Nishinoya did just that. He dragged Asahi out of the cafeteria and to the oxygen chambers. They still hadn’t spoken since their fight in the reactor room, but he didn’t care. 

The second they rounded the corner, Asahi opened his mouth. “My love, I—“ 

Noya turned on him, eyes blazing. “Tell me what’s going on,” he demanded. His eyes stung with tears. He forced them aside. “Because I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know who to trust, I don’t know if you’re lying to me, I don’t know if we’re going to make it out alive, I don’t—“ 

Asahi gasped out a breath and lurched forward. All at once, Nishinoya was caged into a familiar embrace. “I don’t know either,” Asahi breathed. “I swear on my life, on our love, Noya, I don’t know. I wish I did.” 

He stepped back. Two pairs of brown, watery eyes met. His lip trembling, Nishinoya leaned forward. Asahi followed his lead. Their foreheads touched, and they both let out a sigh. Asahi placed his hands tenderly around Noya’s neck, rubbing his thumbs where he knew his lover was most sensitive. The smaller man replied by clutching tightly onto Asahi’s hips. 

“I may be a coward,” Asahi murmured. “But I swear to you, I’ll get you out of here, one way or another.” 

Tears in chocolate eyes, the grin had only just started to make its way onto Nishinoya’s lips when he felt more than heard the crack— and it all went black.

* * *

Akaashi was running toward him. He was panting and gasping for breath, and hadn’t he been on his way to navigation to recover Kenma’s body? 

“Bokuto!” he cried when their eyes met. “I-It’s— Asahi. He— he killed Nishinoya!” 

Something in Bokuto snapped. 

He stormed back in the way Akaashi had come from. His love trailed after him, but Bokuto didn’t notice. And then, he saw it. 

He rounded the corner to the oxygen tanks, and there— Asahi was wailing, his tears falling onto Nishinoya’s body, his hands clutching onto his lover’s neck. The one that was twisted grotesquely. 

Fuck protocol. He’d had enough. 

Bokuto grabbed the neck of Asahi’s suit and dragged him off his dead lover. Asahi didn’t fight it. Instead, he just cried and cried, and Bokuto ground his teeth together to stop from yelling at him. He had no right to cry over his own actions.

He swiped Akaashi’s card from his hand and scanned it, then his own. The pod door hissed open. He threw Asahi into it without remorse. 

The pod jettisoned off. 

Bokuto stumbled back, panting, exhausted, and just wanting the pain to stop. He practically fell into Akaashi’s embrace. There were no tears this time. Only harsh breaths and pain in his chest that never ended. 

“This was never how I wanted things to be,” Akaashi whispered, and Bokuto’s heart broke. “When we chose to go out, to see the universe together…this wasn’t what I’d planned.” 

Bokuto leaned out of the embrace, a hand coming up to cup Akaashi’s face. “Oh, Akaash—EE!” he yelped. Something sharp twisted in his chest. He staggered back. Blood. Blood all over his white suit. 

“A-Akaa— AH!” he cried. 

The knife was out now, dripping life all over him. Bokuto collapsed, and as much as he wanted to screw his eyes shut in pain, he forced them to stay open. 

Above him, turquoise eyes— the ones he’d seen stars reflected in, the ones he’d seen his _future_ reflected in— turned dark. “Like I said,” Akaashi murmured. “This wasn’t what I’d planned.” 

Bokuto’s vision was turning blurry. He didn’t feel the tears running down his face, didn’t even hear his voice calling out, croaking, begging why why why _why._ The black came too slowly. But even as the last second of light faded out, he found that he couldn’t hate Akaashi. He could never hate him. 

No, even on the darkest of nights, Akaashi was still his north star. Bright, burning. Beautiful. And, he now knew— dangerous. 

* * *

As he watched the life leave his fiancé’s eyes, Akaashi didn’t feel victory. He didn’t feel regret, either. This mission had never been his choice. Only the fates knew why he’d been chosen, why this was his duty. 

And so, his horrendous task finally accomplished, Akaashi slumped against the wall. His ears honed in on the monotonous sounds of the spaceship— the engine humming, the oxygen being forcibly pushed through the vents, the zinging of artificial lights. It was all so much louder now that there was no other noise to cover it up. 

There wasn’t the bickering of Hinata and Kageyama. There wasn’t the flirtatious remarks and whispered requests to stop from Kuroo and Kenma. There wasn’t the ceaseless argumentative teasing being tossed back and forth between Iwaizumi and Oikawa. There wasn’t the sweet assurances and panicked gasps from Nishinoya and Asahi. 

There wasn’t Bokuto’s humming. 

There was just him— alone and victorious. 

* * *

“AGAASHIIIIIII!” Bokuto pouted, throwing his head into his fiancé’s lap. “You’re so cruel!!!!!!” 

The former setter rolled his eyes. “I didn’t pick to be the imposter, you know that. It’s randomly assigned.” 

“Still did a badass job, though,” Kuroo admitted easily. “Anyone wanna do another round? I bet my kitten would be a great imposter.” The nuzzle Kuroo gave Kenma made the younger shrink away a bit. It was hilarious to everyone in the room— even at their own engagement party, Kenma was shy about PDA. 

“No, I still wanna talk about how I got picked off first!” Hinata shouted, standing up from his place on the couch next to Kageyama. “Seriously, how is that fair?!” 

“It’s a game, Shouyo-kun,” Oikawa drawled, and Iwaizumi snorted. “Fairness isn’t part of it.” 

Asahi shifted uncomfortably. “Well, if we do play another round, can I not be the imposter again? Like, if we start and I get chosen, can I just leave the game? It was awful,” he shuddered. Nishinoya was all too happy to plant a kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek, a resounding unspoken answer that no one was going to debate. It wasn’t exactly fun watching Asahi have a mental breakdown over the controls on his phone. 

While Kenma set up a new game (increasing the walking speed this time because seriously, they had been moving _way_ too slow), Akaashi finally turned his attention from the group and back to his fiancé. Bokuto was still pouting, muscled arms crossed and eyes refusing to meet his. Sighing fondly, Akaashi leaned down. It was a little difficult given their position, but he did manage to place a peck on Bokuto’s nose— a favorite spot of his. 

Golden eyes darted up curiously, and Akaashi smiled. That was all it took to have Bokuto beaming again, sitting up and yelling, “Hey, hey, hey!! I’m ready to go!! C’mon, Akaashi, let’s switch colors this time—“ 

(Not a minute into the next game, Kenma caught Bokuto venting on the security cameras.) 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Leave a comment, pretty please :)


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